Quiconque fait le mal en est puni | Whoever does harm is punished tôt ou tard. for it sooner or later. Quiconque parlera Anglais sera | Whosoever speaks English shall be mis à l'amende. fined. But, should the above words pointedly refer to women, the feminine must always be used.-EXAMPLES: On doit toujours être soumise à | A woman should always be obe son mari. Quand on est belle, on ne l'ignore pas. Quand on est jolie, on n'est pas la dernière à le savoir. Quiconque de vous, mesdemoiselles, sera assez imprudente pour le faire, sera punie. dient to her husband. When a woman is handsome, she is not ignorant of it. When a woman is pretty, she is not the last to know it. Young ladies, whichsoever of you shall be thoughtless enough to do it, shall be punished. S. Have you any other observations to make on on? M. Several more. -When on is repeated in a sentence, it must in each repetition refer to the same noun.-EXAMPLES: On veut être instruit et l'on ne | People wish to be well-informed, veut prendre aucune peine pour l'être. On croit souvent être aimé et l'on | est haï. and yet will take no pains to become so. People often believe themselves to be beloved, and are in reality hated. We use l'on instead of on, in order to avoid a disagreeable clashing of vowels, or the tedious repetition of the same sound; therefore, l'on ought to be preferred after the following words, et, si, où, and que, especially when on precedes a word beginning with tom, con.-EXAMPLES: Quand on pardonne, on en est plus grand et l'on s'abaisse en se vengeant. Si l'on veut voir la fin d'un procès, il faut souvent le commencer dans sa jeunesse. C'est par la vertu qu'on lutte avec tranquillité contre les passions des hommes, et que l'on connaît le contentement au milieu de leurs injustices. C'est par elle qu'on voit venir la défaite sans abattement, et que l'on conserve encore du courage après la disgrace. When we forgive, we become the greater for it, and we degrade ourselves by revenge. If a man wishes to see the end of a law-suit,it is often necessary that he should begin it in his youth. It is by the help of virtue we bear up, with tranquillity, against the passions of men, and enjoy selfcontent amidst their injustice. It is through her we meet defeat without being discouraged, and retain courage after as overthrow. Dites-moi si l'on danse où l'on | Tell me if they dance in the place dine. where they dine. Observe, that, if on be followed by an 1, in the next word, the 7 should be omitted before it; therefore, do not say, "et l'on l'entendit-si l'on le voit-où l'on le cherche, &c." but et on l'entendit-si on le voit où on le cherche. S. Are there not some difficulties, in the French language, concerning the use of the word personne ? M. Yes: and I will explain them. When this word is preceded by an article, it implies an individual of the human species, and requires that the correspondent adjective be always feminine.EXAMPLES: avez trouvée si J'ai rencontré la personne que vous | I met with the person you found so tedious. None or no one is foolish enough to believe it. There was not one person but was sorry for it. If personne be not preceded by an article, it requires that its correspondent should be masculine, and is then used to express any human being whatever.-EXAMPLES: Personne n'est assez sot pour le | Nobody is foolish enough to believe it. There was not any body but was very sorry for it. Hence it is, that the presence or absence of the article before it, makes all the difference in its use. It is here necessary to observe with the French Academy, that such modes of expression as une jolie, une charmante, une belle personne, are never used but of women. I cannot conclude this lesson, without descanting upon particulars attending the gender of certain nouns, to which your attention is earnestly solicited. A TABLE OF NOUNS, WHOSE GENDER VARIES ACCORDING TO THEIR NUMBER, ACCEPTATION, &c. The nouns amour, délice, orgue, are masculine in the singular and feminine in the vlural-EXAMPLES · Il est épris d'un amour violent. He is intoxicated with violent love. Observe, that, in poetry, amour in the singular is either masculine or feminine: however, the former is to be preferred. Je crois depuis cinq ans jusqu'à ce dernier jour The poets make amour either feminine or masculine in the plural. However, the former is to be preferred. Pour parvenir au but de ses noires amours, RACINE. Le passé n'a point vu d'éternelles amours, S. EVREMONT. Il fallut oublier dans ses embrassemens, VOLTAIRE But, observe that amour is masculine, in the plural, when it means the graces personified, or those small figures which serve as emblems in painting and sculpture.-EXAMPLES: AMOURS, M. P. Les petits amours sont de cruels | Little loves are cruel tyrants. tyrans. Il a fait sculpter de jolis petits amours autour de la salle. He caused several pretty little cupids to be carved around the parlour. DÉLICE, M. La promenade est un délice pour | Walking is a delight, or a luxury, DÉLICES, F. P. L'étude fait toutes mes délices., | Study is my sole delight. However, in a few instances it may be made masculine, in the plural, as C'est un des plus beaux orgues de | It is one of the finest organs in l'Italie. Italy. Aide is feminine when it signifies succour, assistance, or the person who gives it; but, it is masculine in the sense of being under the command, direction, &c. of a superior.-EXAMPLES: Donnez-lui une aide prompte. Vous êtes toute mon aide. AIDE, F. Give him speedy help. AIDE, M." Le général Wellington lui envoya | General Wellington sent him an un aide de camp. aid-de-camp. Avez-vous besoin d'un aide de Do you want an under-cook? cuisine ? Non, il me faut un aide à maçon. ¡ No: I must have a mason's as sistant. Aigle is feminine, in aigle impériale, imperial eagle; aigle Romaine, Roman eagle; aigle, a constellation, and in heraldry. In other circumstances, it is masculine.—EXAMPLES: AIGLE, M. Il est chevalier de l'aigle blanc, | He is a knight of the white eagle et de l'aigle noir. L'aigle courageux n'engendre point la timide colombe. C'est un aigle pour le talent. Il crie comme un aigle. and of the black eagle. The courageous eagle does not beget the timid dove. He is a man of transcendent genius. * He shrieks like an eagle. Ne sais-tu pas encore, homme faible et superbe, VOLTAIRE. Mahomet. There are nouns that, under the same acceptation, adopt either gender, according to the choice of him who speaks; such are, automne and duché-pairie.-EXAMPLES: AUTOMNE, M. & P. Un bel automne (masculine after the adjective) 5 A fine DUCHÉ-PAIRIE, M. & F. { Un ou une duché-pairie (the masculine is more generally used.) } autumn. A dukedom. Couleur is commonly feminine, as La couleur à la mode, the fashionable colour; des couleurs brillantes, vivid colours;-but it is masculine in such modes of expression as the following: Le couleur de feu, the flame colour; le couleur de paille, &c. the straw colour, &c.; because couleur is taken adjectively. Le couleur de, signifies, that which is the colour of Couple, when signifying number, is feminine.—EXAMPLE: COUPLE, F. Envoyez-moi une couple d'œufs, | Send me a couple of eggs, a une couple de poulets, et une couple of chickens, and a couple of turkeys. couple de dindons. But, when it is said of two persons, united by the ties of love or Hymen, it becomes masculine.-EXAMPLES: COUPLE, M. Voilà un couple bien uni, bien assorti. Couple heureux, puissent vos jours être longs! There is a couple happily united, well matched. Happy couple, may your days be long! NOTE. You are never to use the above expression to designate two things made to go together; in this case, the word paire must be used.-EXAMPLES: PAIRE, F. Prêtez-moi une paire de ciseaux, | Lend me a pair of scissars, a pair une paire de bas de soie, et une of silk stockings, and a pair of leather gloves. paire de gants de peau. Echo is masculine when it signifies the repetition of sound.-EXAMPLE: ECHO, M. L'écho répond seul à ma voix. The echo alone answers to my voice. |